PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF POLYHERBAL FORMULATION: DADIMASHTAKA CHURNA

There has been an increase in demand for the Phyto-pharmaceutical products of Ayurveda so a pharmaceutical preparation in the form of Dadimashtaka Churna is tried to standardize, till date there is no reference regarding evaluation of Dadimashtaka Churna. Dadimashtaka Churna, a polyherbal Ayurvedic formulation is recommended in the management of gastro intestinal complaints like diarrhea. In the present study , Dadimashtaka Churna is subjected to confirm its quality and purity through Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical evaluation. Pharmacognostic results revealed the presence of specific character of individual drugs i.e. Calcium oxalate crystal and tanninferous vessel of Punica grantum , Siliceous crystals of Bambusa arundinacea , oil globules , epicarp and parenchyma cells with black debries of Piper nigrum , spongy parenchyma of Cinnamomum tamala , parenchyma with secretion cell of Zingerabine officinale ,tannin content of Piper longum , scelerenchyma and endosperm of Cuminum cyminum , striated cuticle of Trachyspermum ammi , endosperm of Coriandrum sativum and pollen grain of Mesua ferrea. The preliminary phytochemical evaluation revealed the presence of carbohydrate ,terpenoids, flavonoids and tannins . Pharmacognostical and phyto-chemical evaluation of Dadimashtaka churna illustrated the specific characters of all ingredients which were used in the preparation. The pharmacognostical and phyto-chemical analysis of Dadimashtaka churna provides substantial information for the proper identification, authentication, and scientific evaluation of the final product/drug. Keywords: Dadimashtaka Churna, Tanninferous vessel , Siliceous crystals, Epicarp ,Endosperm